Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to postage indicia, postage payment and in particular to a method and system for detecting or processing a mailed item.
Discussion of Related Art
Centralized, internet-based postage systems have achieved wide acceptance since their conception in the mid-1990's. U.S. Pat. No. 6,005,945 to Whitehouse describes in detail internet-based postage systems and methods. In this model, rather than having independent, stand-alone electro-mechanical postage meters located throughout the country, an array of equivalent “virtual meters” is maintained in a database at a centralized server site. Each postage transaction uses a secure communication from the end user to the centralized server site. This type of system generates a centralized database of indicium and, in the case of shipping labels, associated tracking database that encompasses a whole mailing and shipping behavior of a plurality of users (e.g., hundreds of thousands of users). Another aspect of PC-based postage is the serialization of each postage indicium. Each indicium has a unique combination of account number and serial number (also referred to as “piece count” in the mailing industry). This idea is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,562 and reiterated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,005,945.
Returned goods represent a substantial percentage of packages shipped worldwide. The term “Reverse Logistics” has been coined to describe this sector of the shipping industry. FIG. 1 shows a conventional U.S. Postal Service Merchandise Return Label (MRL). This type of label can be distributed in bulk. For example, the return labels can be provided in the box of each order shipped by a shipper (e.g., Amazon.com). The cost of each label is only a few fractions of a cent. Hence, the shipper (e.g., Amazon.com) does not incur an important expense. Only a few percent of the packages sent out will require the MRL and the U.S. Postal Service only charges for the labels actually placed in the mail stream, i.e., the labels used. Often the “From” address is not filled out, as it is optional. However, the delivery address references the “Postage Due Unit” at the receiving Post Office.
As shown in FIG. 1, the return label includes a series of horizontal black bars (in this case 7 bars) under the permit box “NO POSTAGE NECESSARY IF MAILED IN THE UNITED STATES”. These bars are a visual queue to USPS operations that some accounting must be done on this piece. These same horizontal bars are also used on a reply postcard in a magazine. This is the only visual queue provided to the USPS so the label can be accounted for. These bars are detected by the human eye, not a machine. If these bars are not seen or detected and accounted for, the USPS will lose the revenue associated with the mail piece on which the label is applied.
Merchandise Return Labels are historically paid for via a USPS permit. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the Merchandise Return Label is paid for using permit 307 issued by the Los Angeles Main Post Office. When returned packages are received at the Postage Due unit, they are manually weighed and the appropriate rate is computed. The rate must take into account the origin and the destination in most cases because rates are normally “zone based.” Each piece is then manually logged into a computer system so that the permit holder (e.g., Amazon.com) can have funds deducted from their permit account.
To acquire a permit, the account holder must pay an annual fee for the permit, as well as an annual accounting fee. In addition, the account holder is charged a surcharge over normal rates for each package. Therefore, this is an expensive option for both the account holder and the Postal Service.
Another heavily used but highly manual system employed by the U.S. Post Office is the Express Mail Corporate Account (EMCA). Many mailers still use the original multi-part Express Mail form shown in FIG. 2. In addition, since typewriters have disappeared from most homes and offices, these Express Mail forms are almost always filled out by hand. The label is accompanied by some form of postage payment, a meter strip from a retail post office counter, a conventional postage meter strip applied by the customer, conventional stamps or simply an EMCA number.
Express Mail goes through a formal acceptance process at the induction post office (PO). The PO employee will weigh the package and input the weight of the package, along with the delivery address and tracking barcode number into a retail Post Office terminal. Even if the Express Mail piece is dropped in a street mail box (blue box), the origin PO has a responsibility to enter this information. In the case of payment by EMCA, the PO employee will enter that along with the other information. However, there is no way to tell at the time of induction if the EMCA account is valid or it belongs to the mailer. Furthermore, the process is highly manual, with carbon copies being removed and saved by the induction PO as well as those responsible for final billing.
Some mailers have begun switching to a single ply version of the Express Mail label which can be computer generated. An example of a conventional computer generated mail express label is shown in FIG. 3. The postage payment methods are typically a PC postage Information Based Indicium (IBI), a conventional meter strip, a retail PO counter strip or conventional stamps. However, this particular label format currently cannot be used for EMCA mailings. The EMCA approach is functionally identical to the permit based system of FIG. 1. Essentially, the mailer opens and maintains an account with the post office (either permit or EMCA) and funds are deducted from this account when relevant “reply” mail pieces are manually detected in the mail stream.
A prepaid return label printing solution for Priority and Express mail labels has been introduced by Endicia Internet Postage (circa 2004). The software logic essentially reverses the return address and delivery address of what would be normal Priority Mail label. It adds the legend “No Postage Stamp Necessary” and removes the postmark date (since the induction date will generally be unknown). The postage is properly computed by taking into account the postal zones.
This computer image may be emailed to a customer or displayed on a Web site, and provides a quick and easy way for a vendor to supply a prepaid return label, Because this is completely prepaid, there is no permit fee, no accounting fee, no delay at the receiving post office, and no manual accounting required.
The limitation of this type of return label is that the postage has been prepaid by the PC postage account holder. If this label is not used, the postage is essentially wasted. Therefore, this label concept is well suited for customer interactions where the merchant is quite certain the customer will be returning the goods. These types of customers are generally easy to identify by either call center or Web site interactions. However, the limitation remains as the postage is consumed when the postage label is printed.
Those unfamiliar with the operational of National Posts may question why the revenue collection for return shipping labels is such a difficult problem. National Posts or Postal Services like USPS have operated with a prepaid model for hundreds of years. However, in the prepaid return shipping labels, each mail piece has to provide an indication that the postage has already been paid via some method such as stamps, meter mark, PC postage indicium, permit account, EMCA, etc. There is no “after the fact” billing. National Post delivery networks are generally point to point, as opposed to FedEx® or UPS™. That is, if a package originates in San Francisco (SF), Calif. and is going to Los Angeles (LA), Calif., the package will likely be trucked or flown directly from SF to LA.
In contrast, FedEx® and UPS™ operate hub systems where all packages flow though a single hub facility. With a hub system, one can be assured that each and every package will be processed by automated scanning systems at the hub, and the processing scans will result in the final billing to the shipper. Hence, the same SF to LA package, if for instance handled by FedEx®, would be flown to Memphis, Tenn. on the first evening and then flown from Memphis to LA the next morning.
The present invention addresses various issues relating to the above and other issues with conventional approaches.